During the 2016-17 NBA season, the Spurs were 1-3 against the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Spurs win over Charlotte on Nov. 3 marked Manu Ginobili’s 1,000th career game and 728th career win, making him the winningest player through 1,000 games in NBA history. He also became the first player from South America to play 1,000 NBA games.

Tony Parker became the youngest player to ever appear in a game for the Spurs when he suited up on October 30, 2001, against the Clippers. The 19-year-old had nine points and three assists in his NBA debut.

Cody McCrary

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Tuesday’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers at the AT&T Center will be the 11th he has missed to start the campaign while recovering from right quadriceps tendiopathy.

Since the 2000 season, only one player has claimed an MVP award while missing as many contests (Allen Iverson, 2001).

The Spurs, of course, care little about Leonard’s chances of hoisting his first Maurice Podoloff Trophy this summer.

There still is no specific timetable for Leonard’s return, though sometime before the end of November appears a safe bet.

In the meantime, the Spurs have been able to piece together a 6-4 start — without their best player — that could have been better, but also could have been worse.

Gasol, in particular, bemoans a 97-94 loss at Indiana last week the Spurs thought they had won until a late 3-pointer from Victor Oladipo.

“I think it’s pretty positive overall,” Gasol said. “If we would have won that Indiana game, it would have been as good as it can be.”

Popovich has lovingly dubbed his team’s start to the season “mediocre.”

Not surprisingly, the Spurs’ offense has been stuck in neutral with their top scorer out.

Sans Leonard’s 25.5 points per game — not to mention his uncanny ability to bail out bad possessions — the Spurs rank 25th in offensive rating at 100.6 points per 100 possessions.

They are tied for 24th in field goal percentage at 43.6 percent. After leading the NBA in 3-point accuracy, the Spurs have made only 34.4 percent so far this season, ranking 20th.

In part due to the aforementioned shot-making issues, the Spurs are averaging 21.7 assists, 18th in the NBA.

The Spurs have also missed veteran point guard Tony Parker, who has also yet to make his season debut due to injury.

The games the Spurs have been winning have been won largely on the defensive end. They are 5-1 when holding opponents to 100 points or less.

“That’s usually a difference-maker,” Gasol said of the team’s defense. “That’s what’s going to keep us in games when we’re struggling offensively and win us games when we’re doing what we’re supposed to do on the offensive end.”

The Spurs rank 12th in the NBA in defensive efficiency, .03 points per 100 possessions outside the top 10.

That has been something of a minor miracle given the absence of Leonard, a two-time Defensive Player of the Year and bona fide havoc-wreaker on the perimeter.

“Our defense is going to be our key all year long,” Gasol said. “If we’re consistent with it, then we’re always going to have a chance to win.”

LaMarcus Aldridge has picked up some of the scoring slack with Leonard unavailable, reverting to his All-Star ways.

He is averaging 22.4 points and shooting 48.3 percent, besting his career averages in both areas,

The Spurs, however, seem to be better when scoring in a gaggle.

In the past two victories over Phoenix and Charlotte, the Spurs have totaled 115 points off the bench. Those games marked the first time in Spurs history four players logged at least 10 points in consecutive contests.

The depth the Spurs are generating now could be beneficial once Leonard gets back, forward Rudy Gay said.

“Obviously, stuff happens,” said Gay, the Spurs’ top bench scorer at 12.6 points per game. “The fact we’re sustaining it without him is good. No matter how he returns, we still can go out there and compete.”

How long that might be remains to be seen.

Seeing Leonard courtside Sunday was a promising start. The Spurs can’t wait to put him in uniform and move him a few feet from the bench to the floor.

“We’ve got to continue to build and grow until we get everybody back healthy,” Gasol said. “We’ll see then what we do.”